What is Respite?
Sooner or later, carers looking after a friend or relative who has dementia are likely to appreciate a break from caring: this is called respite. Respite might be for a week, or just for an hour or two. The person with dementia may be cared for at home, in a day centre or care home, or perhaps even go on a supported holiday. Our Getting a Break section has more information.
Local Respite Services – care homes, day centres and within the home
If you make the decision to choose respite here are listings of care homes which specialise in caring for people with dementia. There is a listing for Warwickshire and a separate one for the Coventry area, which may cover some parts of Warwickshire. This information has been taken from the website of the Care Quality Commission which is the independent regulatory body of health and social care in England.
Day care enables the carer to have some short term regular respite. The person with dementia attends a day centre for 3 – 7 hours at a time, for a minimum of one day per week, including meals and drinks. Activities are organised either at the centre or as visits out to places of interest. Often transport can be organised. In order to access this service the person usually requires a referral through social services or health services.
Respite can also be arranged to take place within the home, especially for cared-for-people who do not wish to or are unable to leave the home. It can be that the carer remains in the home at this time, although in practice this rarely happens. It is more usual for the carer to go out to fulfill any appointments they may have, or just as importantly, to enjoy an activity away from their role as a carer. Many carers also use this respite time to attend carer support groups. This care could cover a couple of hours or up to a week or two, so that the carer can get away on holiday. It may be that this option to provide care at home is less disruptive for the person with dementia. The United Kingdom Home Care Association can provide information about live-in carers for respite or on-going care.
Guideposts can provide a service for carers who need a few hours’ respite.
Funding Respite
Before any funding for respite can be agreed an assessment must be carried out through the local authority's social services department. The carers’ assessment enables the local authority to establish what respite can be offered and how extensive the funding may be.
Contact the Adult Health and Community Services Team. Call the Customer Service Centre on 01926 410410 and ask to be transferred through to AHCS if you would prefer to talk to someone in person.
Further Information
Our Getting a Break section has more information about different ways of arranging respite care and taking a break from caring.
